CVE-2020-7968
GitLab vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE) versions 8.0 through 12.7.2 were affected by an incorrect access control vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-7968. The vulnerability involved authorization checks not being properly applied in cases where public repositories had merge request visibility set to members only, potentially resulting in unauthorized disclosure of source code from forked private projects (GitLab Release).

Technical details

The vulnerability was classified with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5 (HIGH) and a CVSS v2.0 score of 5.0 (MEDIUM). The core issue stemmed from improper implementation of access control mechanisms in GitLab's handling of merge request visibility settings (NVD Results).

Impact

The vulnerability could lead to the disclosure of source code from forked private projects, potentially exposing sensitive information to unauthorized users. This security flaw specifically affected scenarios where public repositories had their merge request visibility configured to members only (GitLab Release).

Mitigation and workarounds

The vulnerability was addressed in GitLab versions 12.7.4, 12.6.6, and 12.5.9. GitLab strongly recommended that all installations running affected versions be upgraded to the latest version as soon as possible to mitigate the security risk (GitLab Release).

Additional resources


SourceThis report was generated using AI

Related GitLab vulnerabilities:

CVE ID

Severity

Score

Technologies

Component name

CISA KEV exploit

Has fix

Published date

CVE-2025-9222HIGH8.7
  • GitLabGitLab
  • cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab
NoYesJan 09, 2026
CVE-2025-13761HIGH8
  • GitLabGitLab
  • cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab
NoYesJan 09, 2026
CVE-2025-13772HIGH7.1
  • GitLabGitLab
  • cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab
NoYesJan 09, 2026
CVE-2025-13781MEDIUM6.5
  • GitLabGitLab
  • cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab
NoYesJan 09, 2026
CVE-2025-3950LOW3.5
  • GitLabGitLab
  • cpe:2.3:a:gitlab:gitlab
NoYesJan 09, 2026

Free Vulnerability Assessment

Benchmark your Cloud Security Posture

Evaluate your cloud security practices across 9 security domains to benchmark your risk level and identify gaps in your defenses.

Request assessment

Get a personalized demo

Ready to see Wiz in action?

"Best User Experience I have ever seen, provides full visibility to cloud workloads."
David EstlickCISO
"Wiz provides a single pane of glass to see what is going on in our cloud environments."
Adam FletcherChief Security Officer
"We know that if Wiz identifies something as critical, it actually is."
Greg PoniatowskiHead of Threat and Vulnerability Management